A New Generation
by aaliuchi
Summary: The life of the new Konoha generation. Heavily modernized. Partying, drugs, love, heart breaks, drama, friendship and everything typical for a bunch of teenagers.
1. Sarada

Sarada was suddenly awoken by her alarm clock. Groaning, the girl slowly got up from her bed and prepared to begin her morning routine, which consisted of just showering and dressing up and nothing too much; Sarada wasn't fan of putting on make-up or spending endless hours in front of the mirror. Appearance was never something important for the seventeen years old girl.

The Uchiha went downstairs, mumbled a "good morning" to her mother and sat down for a small breakfast, which was always kind of awkward and quiet. It consisted of Sakura trying her best to sound interested in how Sarada's day passed and Sarada pretending to be enthusiastic about stuff. Sakura was getting more tired and worn-out every day and she couldn't hide it behind her fake smile, because Sarada saw everything – how the absence of Sasuke Uchiha, Sarada's father, hurt her a lot. Sarada herself used be hurt and missed him a lot; she still did, but the girl had to be strong for her mother. So Sasuke was barely mentioned in this house, although his pictures were around every corner.

After eating a toast and drinking some juice, Sarada quickly grabbed her bag, mumbled another "goodbye" to her mom and finally, got out of the house. She and her best friend, Chocho, arranged to meet each other before school, like every day. Sarada let out an annoyed sigh escape her lips when Chocho managed to be late again – it was no wonder, the Akimichi girl spent most of her nights out partying or doing.. whatever she was doing, so she always overslept. Sarada, on the other hand was never a fan of partying and such nonsense, as she called it. She never got the appeal of it, anyways.

Finally, Chocho arrived and apologized, as usual, then began telling Sarada about how she spent the night, about the party and how Bolt managed to get involved with some shit again, perhaps destroying the household or whatever. Sarada was so used to this boy's stupidity that she wasn't even surprised anymore, although she did not approve of his behavior at all. A few minutes later, the two girls arrived at the school and to Sarada's relief, they weren't late. The two girls sat down on their places, which was always on the far right corner of the room and Chocho saw Inojin and got carried away in their conversation, probably laughing about yesterday.

Later, Aburame-sensei appeared and the lesson began. Of course, he couldn't help but mention how grateful they should be that they're living in peaceful times and they get to spend their teen years in school, instead of the battlefield, killing each other. Sarada was grateful, actually. She never wanted to be a ninja in the first place so she was glad that the only thing she had to do was go to school and then go to missions when she graduated. Although, the girl would much rather continue studying.

The lesson ended quickly and nothing much happened, except for the fact that she got assigned with Bolt for some project, which made the girl groan internally. Bolt was the worst possible person to do a project with; Sarada would better prepare to do it on her own, since he wasn't going to do much.. if at all. "Soo, about this project.. my place?" Bolt suggested casually, Sarada simply nodding. Even though Sakura would be happy if Sarada brought some friends over, Sarada would hate it if Bolt started asking questions and stuff about her family. That was a topic that the girl avoided at all costs.

A few hours later all their ninja classes were over and once again, the Uchiha had nothing to do. She had asked if Chocho wanted to hang out, but the Akimichi's social life was quite busy so she couldn't, since she already had other plans. Chocho had always been popular and had many friends – after all, she was fun, pretty, outgoing and confident – despite the fact that some people had tried to bring her down because of her weight, Chocho didn't care at all. She was fine with the way she looked. Sarada had always been quite jealous of her friend's confidence – the ravenette herself has suffered a lot with her self-esteem and was never good at.. talking to people, you know, so she didn't have lots of friends.

Since there was nothing else left to do, Sarada finally got home to prepare her books and stuff before she went to the Hyuuga-Uzumaki household. The house was always empty and quiet, but this time there was quite loud music and smell that made the girl cringe, but she also knew too well because of her friends – cigarettes and.. alcohol?

"Mom!" the girl yelled, looking around the rooms for her mother "Mom!" Suddenly the music stopped, followed by a dropped glass and a few curses. Sarada started walking towards the noise and found Sakura laying on the couch, a cigarette in one hand and a glass of alcohol, whatever it was in the other. Sakura let out an awkwardly forced laugh as she tried to hide the things in her hand and waved in her hands in order to make the smoke around her disappear. "Ah, dear, you're home early! I was just.. you know.. Umm.."

Sarada suddenly turned away, unsure of what to do. Perhaps leaving the situation would be the worst way of dealing with it, but still.. What was there to do? Maybe there was something wrong with Sakura. If she was a good person maybe Sasuke wouldn't have left her and Sarada would have a nice family, just like her friends. What was wrong, for fuck's sake? Whose fault was all of that? Sarada felt her eyes filling with tears – she didn't want to blame this on her mom, she loved her, but.. there HAD to be someone responsible for this. Was it Sarada? Was it her fault that she was born? Did her father hate her?

"Whatever.. I'm going to study with Bolt tonight, so don't wait for me." Sarada spoke coldly, not facing her mother, then she went upstairs to avoid any conversation that was about to come. She laid on the bed, taking out a picture of her father with two more people on it – a redhead with glasses and some guy with white hair. There wasn't a single picture in the house with Sakura and Sasuke in it. God, what kind of fucked up family were they?

Sarada put the picture back under her pillow and decided to get ready to leave. Bolt was probably waiting for her.. and while none of them wanted to do this stupid project with each other, they were still forced to.


	2. Bolt & Sarada

· _Ding-dong. Ding-dong. _

Hinata opened the door and a soft smile appeared on her lips at the sight of Sarada standing there. "Aah, Sarada-chan! Welcome! Bolt mentioned that you'd come over today. You two have some kind of a project to do together, _ne_?" She was always so welcoming, that it sometimes made Sarada kind of.. awkward? She didn't know how to react to such niceness. A simple smile and scratch behind the neck were followed. "Yeah.. uh.. Is.. Is he here?" the Uchiha questioned and then immediately regretted it. Well, of course he was here, why would he invite her then? God.. Hinata was about to say something else, when Bolt suddenly appeared behind his mother and groaned lodly. "Ugh, mom! Just let her come in so we can finish this shit!" Hinata stepped away so she could let Sarada in and turn to her son, her thin eyebrows furrowing in a frown and hands crossed over her chest in disapproval. "Boruto! How many times have I told you to not use such language! My, what a foul mouth! Sarada-chan, excuse my son's rudeness!" Sarada smiled slightly at this statement – she was, indeed, used to his rudeness and stupidity. If only Hinata knew half of the other shit her son was up to.. Perhaps she was bad at controlling him. "No problem, Hinata-san!" Bolt rolled his eyes and went upstairs, not saying anything. Sarada simply followed him.

His room was.. well, not as messy as she expected it, but it was still very usual and boy-ish style with suit Bolt. He put his hands behind his head and laid down on his bed, crossing his legs in the air. Sarada frowned at that –he wasn't planning on doing nothing, was he? "We have a project to do, if you have forgotten!" the Uchiha reminded him, crossing her hands over her chest. Bolt just stared at her for a while with his deep blue eyes, then let out a snort, which made Sarada raise her eyebrow at him.

"Man, I really wanted to go out tonight, now this stupid project.." the boy complained, as if he had every problem in this world. God, he was such a brat! Sarada didn't feel like arguing with him right now, so her only option was to make him do it.. voluntary. "Look, it's just 8 p.m. right now. We do the project for two hours and then you're free to do whatever you want to and we won't be forced to be around each other anymore. Deal?" Bolt stared at her again for a while before shrugging and getting out of the bed. He sat down on the floor and they began working on their project.

A few hours later, everything was done. Sarada let out a yawn escape her lips – around this time she was usually preparing to go to bed. "See, wasn't that hard? Now you can go out or whatever." Bolt shrugged and leaned against his bed. "Nah, I don't feel like going out anymore. Man, this dumbass project drained all my energy!" the blonde complained again, which really frustrated Sarada. "Whatever.. I'm going home." Her words were followed by Sarada getting up, grabbing her now half-empty bag and preparing to walk out. "You want me to walk you home or something? Ya know, it's kind of dangerous around this time.." Bolt suggested, which left Sarada staring at him with her eyes open wide for a while. Wow.. well, that was unexpected, at least from someone like Bolt. "Hn, I can take care of myself." Sarada crossed her hands over her chest, before mumbling a "goodbye". "Yeah.. whatever. Bye." Was Bolt's reply.

On her way of the house, Sarada saw Hinata and Himawari standing on the table, perhaps waiting for Naruto. He was always busy, being a Hokage and all.. but at least he was still there for his family. And Hinata didn't seem to be unhappy and worn-out like Sakura did. Himawari seemed happy and cheerful – she was this innocent little girl who was always nice and everybody loved.. it made Sarada want to protect her and wonder what kind of brother Bolt was.. but nevertheless, their family did seem way more happy than Sarada's.

For some reason, the Uchiha didn't feel like going home yet. Her mother was probably asleep by now – or perhaps passed out because she drank too much again, so she wouldn't worry. Or even if she worried, it wouldn't make any difference. Sakura worried all the time.. that's all she did. And Sarada was tired – she wanted a happy, nice family, too. But she couldn't make her mother happy, only one person was able to do that – Sasuke Uchiha, and he left.

Sarada sat down on a bench which was near Bolt's house. She could see the house perfectly from here and everything that was going on inside.. except for Bolt's room, because of the curtains. Sarada saw how Hinata was looking at the clock, then decided to go to bed. She finally shut the lights off. Now, the whole house was dark. Everybody was sleeping.. suddenly, the front door opened and there was, surprisingly, Himawari. She was wearing short denim pants, a really really short black crop top and a baby purple jacket which wasn't zipped up and showed off the girl's curves.

Sarada just stared at her for a few minutes in disbelief – was this.. was this Himawari Uzumaki? Why the hell was she dressed like that (wasn't she only _fifteen?_) and was she sneaking out? Didn't her mother notice? Didn't her _goddamn _brother notice? Himawari began walking until she noticed Sarada – even more surprisingly, she didn't seem scared or worried by the fact that she was caught. The girl simply approached Sarada and sat down next to her.

"Sarada-chan, what are you doing here?" Himawari questioned, putting her hands in the pockets of her purple jacket casually. Sarada was still too stunned to speak.. "Uhh—I—Himawari, what are you doing? Why are you out at such time, like this..?" the Uchiha mumbled the last part, unsure if it would sound offensive. Himawari let out a small laugh; then her lips formed in a smile which was kind of indescribable, but seemed really cheerful and kind of mysterious – only someone like the young Uzumaki girl could pull it off. "Oh, you know, nothing much. But what about you, Sarada-chan? Don't tell me you're stalking my brother!"

Sarada could feel her cheeks flushing red at that last statement. Sarada? Stalking? How.. how could she say something like that! "As if! Why would I- Wait Himawari, don't change the topic!" the Uchiha suddenly realized that the Uzumaki had changed to topic to Sarada, but was again, interrupted.

"No? Then why are you here?" Silence. Sarada wasn't quite sure how to explain it – she didn't have an explanation, not really. "I don't know.. I just.. I don't want to go home yet." The ravenette mumbled, praying that the young Uzumaki wouldn't start asking question. Fortunately, she didn't.

"Well.." Himawari began speaking as she got up from the bench "I have to go. See ya!" and with that, the Uzumaki left, walking down the street until she disappeared from Sarada's sight. Suddenly, the Uchiha felt her eyes becoming heavy and she was way too tired to move – perhaps laying on the bench a little wouldn't hurt, would it?

"Oi! Are you homeless or what? Seriously, Sarada, what the fuck? Why are you sleeping on the bench? Oi, Sarada!"

The girl slowly opened her eyes and realized that her whole body was in pain. Then she saw a pair of blue eyes watching her.. and blonde hair.. and why was she in such pain? A few moments later and the Uchiha came to the conclusion that she had slept on bench last night, therefore the reason of her pain. And now, she felt really really embarrassed that Bolt had to find her like that.

"Man, what is wrong with you? Sleeping on benches? You could have called me, you could stay over or something.. but sleeping like that? All night? What the fuck.." Bolt continued his rambling, ignoring Sarada's groans of pain and she got up from the bench. She just frowned at him in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Now, she remembered what happened before she felt asleep – right.. Himawari. That would also be a good way to change the topic from herself.

"Last night.. Himawari. She went out really late!" Sarada mumbled.  
"Yeah.. I know. Did something happen to her?" Bolt asked, suddenly concerned.  
"You know? YOU KNOW? You let your sister out that late? Anything could happen to her, you complete idiot!" Sarada suddenly started yelling, not believing that Bolt could be so.. irresponsible, even when it came to his little sister.  
"First of all, calm down. It's none of your business, and besides, Himawari is smarter than that. She's always home in the morning. Also, not to mention that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. Now, why the fuck are you sleeping on the bench in front of my house?"  
A frown appeared on her face as Sarada crossed her hands over her chest and snorted.  
"None of your business." With that, she just left, leaving a frustrated Bolt behind her.


	3. Bolt

**Sorry this is so late guys! But anyways, here's a new chapter. This story is mainly about Bolt and Sarada and their families, but if you'd like to see a new chapter dedicated to some other character, please feel free to request!**

This morning was unusually peaceful for Bolt – he woke up in his bed, he didn't have a headache or a bad hangover, there wasn't a stranger sleeping next to him, everything was.. alright; which immediately made it boring. Lately the boy hasn't been attending many parties. He couldn't even explain why – he just didn't feel like it. Inojin and Shikadai were even beginning to tease him about it, but Bolt just brushed it off. Even though everything seemed to be fine, Bolt felt like.. he was missing something. Something was bugging him.. hard. And it made the boy frustrated.

He couldn't stand the usual family breakfast, which usually consisted of his missing father, his mother who was smiling, pretending that Naruto's absence on the table wasn't bothering her and Himawari who looked as perfect and innocent as always, as if she hadn't spend the whole night god knows where. The whole situation was so.. annoying.

"Where's dad?" Bolt asked casually as he was chewing on his toast. Hinata, taken aback by the question, nervously walked around the room, tidying random stuff which didn't even need tidying in the first place – this woman needed to go out more often, she'd go crazy if she continued doing that bullshit. "Ah, your father? He had to leave early, you know he has a lot of work to do since.." "Since he's the Hokage, yeah, yeah.. Whatever." Interrupted her Bolt, finishing his mother's sentence for her. "He didn't even come home last night, did he?" Even Himawari seemed to be surprised by Bolt this morning. She frowned at his direction, probably wondering why he was trying to start shit, but the boy ignored it. Hinata pressed her lips together tightly and left the room without saying a word. Oops. Well, she shouldn't have pretended that everything was alright when it's obviously not!

When he arrived at school, Bolt went to sit on his usual place next to Inojin, but today for some reason it was taken by Chocho. They seemed to be enjoying each other's presence, perhaps a bit too much.. what the hell, when did this happen? "Aye, love birds, can y'all do this shit somewhere else? I sit here." Bolt complained, only to have Chocho and Inojin giggle.. you know this annoying giggle that people who are in love make at things that aren't even funny, they're just too goddamn excited with their disgusting lovey-dovey feelings. "You could sit on my place?" Chocho offered as Inojin put his hand around her, pulling her into something like a hug. "Oh, man, don't make me sit next to Sarada!" Bolt complained once again. He did have enough of this girl's blabbering yesterday and it was more than enough. "Hmm, you might not have this problem, she still hasn't showed up. Ya know, she's never late!" Chocho commented and Bolt turned around to see the girls' empty desk – it was true.. Sarada has never missed a day or been late, now that he thought about it. What was going on?

The classes finally ended. Bolt didn't pay much attention because his mind was preoccupied – he was still curious why Sarada didn't come today. She seemed fine yesterday.. except for the fact that she spent the night on the bench in front of his house, but, oh well.. When Chocho suggested the both of them check on the girl, Bolt hesitated for a second but he agreed in the end. He was still curious, after all.

Finally, the two arrived in front of the Uchiha house. It was smaller than Bolt's, it was still nice but.. it seemed somehow.. abandoned? Like nobody was trying to take care of it or anything – there weren't any flowers in the garden and the grass was growing too big. "Have you even been there?" Bolt asked as he put his hands in his pockets, looking around the yard as the two waited for someone to answer the door. "Hmm, now that I think about it, no. Sarada has never invited me or anyone at her place. We usually go at my house.. I wonder why." The girl mumbled thoughtfully. Bolt knocked on the door a few more times, this time more impatiently. Finally, he heard a sound of unlocking, only to find his own father standing there. Bolt was truly shocked.. what the hell was his father doing at the Uchiha house? Wasn't he supposed to do his Hokage duties and other shit? "Dad.. What the fuck are you doing here?" Bolt questioned, suddenly feeling anger and confusion take over him. Naruto's blonde hair was a mess, his clothes weren't even put on properly and he seemed to be out of breath. The man scratched the behind of his head as he tried to think of a way to deal with his angry son. "Oh, Bolt.. Ya know, Sakura-chan wasn't feeling well so I had to check up on her and.." Naruto couldn't even finish his sentence before he was interrupted by Bolt. "Check up on her? Yeah, I can see that. Maybe that's the only thing you're good at! Do your Hokage duties involve shagging women behind mum's back, huh?" the younger boy yelled, clenching his fists. He couldn't even stand here anymore, so he turned around and started walking away angrily, followed by a worried and confused Chocho. "Oi, don't you dare speak to me like that! Sakura-chan's my friend and I would _never _do anything behind Hinata's back! Bolt, come back here!"

He just ignored his father's shouts. Bolt was way too confused to do anything else. "Bolt? What's happening? Are you.. are you alright?" a worried Chocho asked him repeatedly, trying to catch up with the boy. "I'm fine, Chocho. Just leave me alone, please." He mumbled, trying not to take his anger out on her. He knew that Chocho had nothing to do with this and was just trying to help. The Akimichi just nodded and left him with an unsure look on her face.

Could it be real? His dad and.. that Sakura woman. _Sakura-chan_, he called her.. Oh god, why was everything so fucked up? What was Bolt supposed to believe anymore?


	4. Chocho

A few hours have passed since the Uchiha-Uzumaki accident, as Chocho referred to it, and she still couldn't get it out of her mind. For some reason she couldn't stop thinking about Bolt and how he handled the whole situation – she felt so bad for him and couldn't help but worry. He was trying to be strong and stuff.. but Chocho could see right behind his tough facade. All that the girl wanted was for Bolt to open up to her.. to let her in. But she was probably the last person he'd do that for. They were friends, right.. but Bolt always seemed so distant.

"You've barely touched your dinner" Choji suddenly spoke up, talking between his chews "Everything alright?" Both of her parents were now looking at her concerned, but also with curiosity. Chocho didn't have time to explain herself to them – besides, she had to hurry. She had to go to a party tonight with Inojin. "I'm fine" the girl replied with annoyance "I gotta go though. Sleepover with the girls tonight, so don't wait for me!" Without explaining herself anymore, the Akimichi got up and left.

Soon, she arrived at Inojin's house. He was having a party tonight since his parents were away on some mission and trusted their beloved son with the house. But he really was responsible – his parties never got out of hand and he usually had everything under control. His faced sparkled up with happiness when he saw his girlfriend and he pulled her close in a hug, followed by a kiss. Chocho responded and tried her best to smile and seem happy with this – but for some reason, she couldn't get out Bolt of her head. Goddamit, she was with her boyfriend while thinking about another boy like that? What was wrong with her?

"You alright, babe? Look, I brought some vodka – I know it's your favourite!" Inojin spoke with enthusiasm, hoping that she'd be glad about his little present. "Me? Yeah, I'm fine! Have you guys seen Bolt today?" Chocho asked, trying to act casual. Inojin shook his head and Shikadai shrugged. "Nah, not since school. But he hasn't been around much lately.." murmured the Nara as she lit up a cigarette, not giving it much thought. "I haven't seen him, too. But yeah, he doesn't come with us that often now.." Inojin replied thoughtfully.

Great. Now Chocho began to worry even more. What if he did something stupid? He could be so reckless sometimes, especially when he's angry and confused like that..

"You don't seem to be in a good mood, is anything wrong?" Inojin asked her, concern in his eyes and tone. "Hmm? No, just my dad pissed me off, you know, the usual.." Chocho replied casually, trying to distract herself from those thoughts about Bolt. She just couldn't get him out of her mind, goddamit! And for some reason, kissing Inojin didn't feel right.. The spark she felt before was gone. She cared about him and she wanted the best for the boy, but.. Her feelings, something was wrong with her goddamn feelings! She had to find out what's going with Bolt and if he was alright, but do it subtly. Staying here, in this house and this party made her suffocate. She asked Shikadai to go for a walk and he agreed. Inojin, of course, couldn't leave. He seemed to be a bit upset of his girlfriend leaving, but Chocho would deal with that later.

The two of them walked in silence on the dark streets slowly, as Shikadai was smoking.. as always. They had a friendship where they understood each other without any words and there were no awkward silences. Shikadai knew that there was something up with the Akimichi but thankfully he didn't bring it up – he just waited for her to speak when she was ready.

"Hey.. isn't that Himawari? Oh yeah, it's her!" the Nara suddenly spoke and without a warning left to approach the younger Uzumaki.  
Damn, what was up with him and his enthusiasm to talk to her? Chocho definitely grew suspicious of that, but she quickly forgot about it as she was reminded of an opportunity to ask about Bolt – his sister would know! Chocho caught up with Shikadai as they approached Himawari who was walking with some boy who Chocho did not recognize.  
"Himawari, hey! Is Bolt home?" the Akimichi asked, not wasting time to beat around the bush.  
"Yeah, why?" the younger girl replied casually, although the way she looked at Chocho didn't seem that casual. Like she was suspicious of her being up to something.. Like she knew something about Chocho. Damn this girl and her looks!  
"Well.. he barely comes with us to parties anymore, so you know, we wonder what's up." Chocho mumbled.  
"You could come instead of him anytime!" Shikadai suggested with a grin, earning himself a weird look from Chocho. What was up with this guy?  
Himawari didn't reply, she just simply smiled. Without saying a word, the girl just looked at both of them, before she continued walking on her way, followed by the unknown boy. Shikadai continued watching her as she walked, his stupid grin still slightly visible on his lips. Oh, no..

"Are you serious? Bolt's little sister.." Chocho began spoking, raising her eyebrow at the Nara.  
"Oh, shut up." She was interrupted by Shikadai's scoff, who was now back to his usual careless attitude, putting his hands in his pockets. "Besides, when are you gonna tell me about.. Fuck, I don't know, this Bolt situation?"  
The Akimichi could feel her face flush with redness – thank god for her dark skin, so her blushing (which rarely occurred, but it still happened) was never visible.  
"He just.. he has problems, okay? And I'm worried. That's all." Chocho mumbled, still refusing to talk to anybody about her feelings. She'd just try and ignore them for now.  
"Hmm.. yeah. Sure." Shikadai sighed. "Let's go back to the party, Inojin is probably upset."  
Right.. Inojin. Her _boyfriend_.

**So this is today's chapter. Thank you for the follows, faves and reviews, guys! Please say which character you'd like to see more of or to have a chapter dedicated to them in the reviews!**


	5. Shikadai

People never missed a chance to mention how much Shikadai looked like his father - and it was true, he did resemble Shikamaru when it came to looks.. but that's where it all ended. Perhaps the only trait they shared was laziness, but besides that they were different. However, people didn't seem do understand that - they expected Shikadai to be the same lazy genius, always calm and collected and ready to throw a snarky comment, leaving the other feeling really dumb.

No, Shikadai wasn't a genius. He wasn't a 'hero' like his father, either - all the boy cared about was parties, alcohol, shagging and a certain Uzumaki girl. He didn't consider himself to be smart or anything like that; but for some reason when people heard the name Nara they expected Shika to be like his father or even grandfather.. and he hated it. He couldn't live up to being Shikamaru Nara - and hell, he didn't want to! He was his own, different person. The only one who seemed to understand that was his aunt, Ino, who also happened to be his favourite person in the world.

Ino knew all of Shikadai's secrets - he could share basically anything with her without feeling judged or receiving a smack behind his head or a dead stare - like his mother always seemed to do. No, aunt Ino was the chillest person he knew and she never expected anything from him, she just accepted Shikadai for who he was. That's why he loved her so much and was happy to spend every minute with her. Not only that, she was the only person who knew about his crush on Himawari.. well, besides Chocho, but the difference was that he shared that with her willingly.

Apparently, she even decided to help him. Tonight, Temari and Shikamaru decided to invite Naruto and Hinata for dinner, because they haven't seen each other in a long time, besides Shikamaru and Naruto working together. The one who gave the idea, was of course, Ino. Shikadai totally freaked over the fact that Himawari would be there.

A few hours later, the Uzumakis arrived. Shikadai was feeling nervous in every sense of the word. Himawari looked as beautiful as ever.. and Bolt, he was also there. God, Shika almost forgot about the whole drama thing surrounding Bolt and Chocho being worried and all. He pulled the blonde guy aside so they could talk alone.

"Hey, dude, where the hell have you been?" Shikadai whispered.  
"None of your bussiness." replied Bolt frowning, seeming more grumpy than usual.  
"Whatever, man. I'm just saying that Chocho has been losing her shit these days.."  
"Chocho? Why?" Bolt raised an eyebrow, earning a shrug from Shikadai.  
"Dunno. I guess something happened or whatever.. she didn't tell me anything. Oh, and Sarada's also been missing school. Now that was weird!"  
"Hmph. Nothing happened.. and yeah, I know. I was with her, after all." was all Bolt said before heading towards the living room, followed by a very curious Shikadai who desperately wanted to know why Sarada and Bolt have been skipping school together.. they couldn't even stand each other?

The dinner was.. well, awkward. Naruto seemed really nervous and his usual silly behaviour seemed way too forced to be anywhere near funny or casual. Hinata was quiet the whole time and barely said a word - Temari tried her best to start a conversation with the Hyuga woman, but it didn't work. Shikamaru was his usual self and basically he was the only one talking, babbling about something. Not much after that, Shikadai suggested to the siblings to go at the backyard so they could enjoy the fresh air and stuff.. and they agreed.

Shikadai also managed to bring a bottle of vodka he was hiding well in his closet. Himawari seemed to be interested in the swing there - she was swinging slowly, her feet barely leaving the ground. Bolt was frowning as usual - that's all he seemed to do lately. The boys sat on the grass in front of the swing. Shikadai offered Bolt some vodka and the blonde took a few big gulps, making Shikadai whistle.

"Easy there, boy! Now, let it all out. What's bothering ya?" the Nara began speaking, liting himself a cigarette. He offered one to Himawari and was kind of proud of himself when she agreed. "Alright.." he began speaking again when Bolt gave him no answer. "But what about Sarada then? I thought you two couldn't stand each other.."

Bolt quietly took a few more gulps of the bottle. "I guess we bonded.. over similar topics." he muttered and as a reply Himawari snorted. Shikadai could feel a tension.. although _other_ things interested him more than the Uzumaki drama. "Ooh.. I feel a tension?" the Nara whispered and Himawari just smiled at him a little. "Since when do you care?" Bolt suddenly spoke, drinking once again from the bottle. Shit, was he trying to end the bottle? "Well.. I don't. Not really - just tryna be nice, you see. Hmm.. So you and Sarada. Chocho would not like this.." he mumbled to himself; it was rather thinking out loud.

However, Shika certainly didn't watch his big mouth and Bolt was definitely still sober enough to notice. "Why the hell would Chocho care?" Bolt snorted. "Because she's got a thing for you." Himawari suddenly spoke, getting up from the swing and grabbing the bottle from her brother's hands and taking a few sips from it, before returning back to the swing. "How.. do you know that?" Shikadai couldn't help but ask - he didn't think Chocho's crush was a noticeable thing.. but he didn't believe that the Akimichi would share something like that with Himawari, or anybody with that matter. "I know everything." the younger girl spoke again, her words followed by a small smile.. a smile that Shikadai adored, a smile that made him fall in love with her even more.

Well, shit, this crush was getting more and more serious - turns out he didn't just want a shag. He was in deep now - there was no going back. Although, he doubted that she'd like him.. or that Bolt would approve. Not that his opinion mattered to him, but he'd definitely try and create problems.

"Oh, man.." Bolt left out a big, tired sigh, running his fingers through his messy, blonde hair. "Himawari, give me the bottle back, please.. I need it." he mumbled, before his sister gave him back the bottle and he took a few huge gulps out of it. "Hey, dude, easy. Your parents will find your drunk ass in our yard!" Shikadai scolded him. "So? They wouldn't give a shit." Bolt slurred, obviously he had drank too much. Shikadai noticed that Himawari frowned at her brother. Perhaps he could ask her about the.. Uzumaki drama?

"Oh.. what's going on?" the Nara boy asked concerned, turning to the purple-haired girl. He almost melted when she looked at him with her lavender eyes. "It's okay, you can tell me anything! Besides, look at his drunk ass - he wouldn't know a thing.." he spoke again when he received no answer, his words followed by a chuckle. Well, at least he got Himawari to smile a little.

"He thinks our dad is cheating on mom. That's not true, of course." she mumbled, frowning at her brother. Himawari did seem upset.. his whole life, he never saw her to be.. caring, towards anything at all. It broke Shika's heart seeing her so visibly hurt. "Why.. why does he think that?" Shikadai whispered, looking at his drunk ass friend on the ground before his eyes got back on the beautiful goddess standing in front of him. "Because he's an idiot." Himawari simply replied. Well.. she was never one to talk much - usually her replies were very short, but they left you thinking. At least Nara managed to get her to open up a little.

"He might be using it as a reason to hang out with Sarada.. Huh, you know how they can be-"  
"I doubt it." she interrupted him, furrowing her eyebrows once again.

Oh, shit. He was only making the situation worse. Perhaps he had to change the topic now. "Yeah.. well, you know Bolt - he's a stubborn idiot sometimes. Don't worry your pretty head about it, yeah?" Shikadai tried to encourage her, giving her a big grin.

At least she smiled - it wasn't a 'thank you for being so supportive!' smile, it was rather a 'what is this idiot doing' one, but in the end, it was still a smile. Shikadai took a few steps closer to the girl - he could feel her scent now.. he could see her beautiful, lavender eyes.. and her soft, kissable lips. Oh, how he wanted to..

Suddenly, he was interrupted by the noise of Bolt getting up from the ground - or at least he was trying to - before any of them could say anything else. Still, he managed to get on his feet. "Oi, Himawari.. let's go. Mom will be calling us soon.. Shikadai, I'm gonna have to speak to you tomorrow." With that, the Uzumaki headed towards the house, followed by his sister, giving the Nara kind of threating look. Oh.. shit. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as Shika thought he was? So what was going on now.. was Shikadai in trouble?

A few minutes later, the Uzumaki's left. Naruto and Hinata were kind of keeping a distance.. and Bolt was walking next to Himawari and he was saying something to her.. she laughed. Shikadai wondered what they could be talking about. The boy sat down at the table with his father, while Temari was cleaning around, washing the dishes and clearing the table.

"What was going on with Naruto?" Temari asked her husband with concern, who seemed to be just as worried as she was.  
"I don't know.. he wasn't acting like himself. And Hinata.. she was so quiet. Even more than usual." Shikamaru said thoughtfully.  
"Yeah, you're right. There was definitely some tension between them." Temari commented.  
"Well, their family problems shouldn't be our concern. I'm tired, I'm going to bed." the Nara declared with a yawn, before getting up from the table and heading upstairs.

What if Bolt was right.. what if Naruto was really up to something? To be honest, Shika didn't care much about the Uzumaki drama.. as long as Himawari was fine.


End file.
